James Bond (George Lazenby)
Commander James Bond is a Senior Operational Officer of the 'Double-O' ('00') Branch, an ultra-covert Black Ops unit within the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). As an agent of MI6, Bond holds code number "007". The 'double-O' prefix indicates his discretionary licence to kill in the performance of his duties. Australian actor George Lazenby briefly held the role from 1968 to 1969, appearing in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Even though he had been offered a contract for seven movies, Lazenby felt dissatisfied with the role and left the series after the release of the film. Film biography Shared background Although very little of Bond's past is directly addressed in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, it is assumed that his Bond continues to share the common background laid out by the Ian Fleming novels and preceding Bond films. In the novels, James Bond is the son of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond of Glencoe, and a Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix, from the Canton de Vaud. He acquired a first-class command of the French and German languages during his early education, which he received entirely abroad. Both parents were tragically killed during a climbing accident in the French Alps when he was eleven. After the death of his parents, Bond goes to live with his aunt, Miss Charmian Bond, where he completes his early education. Later, he briefly attends Eton College at "12 or thereabouts", but is removed after two halves because of girl trouble with a maid. After being sent down from Eton, Bond was sent to Fettes College in Scotland, his father's school. After leaving Fettes, earlier EON films note that Bond studied at Cambridge University. There, he achieved a first in Oriental languages. In Fleming's novels, Bond alluded to briefly attending the University of Geneva (as did Fleming), before being taught to ski in Kitzbühel. Following his graduation, Bond joined the Ministry of Defence and became a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, rising though the ranks to commander. Bond applied to M for a position within the "Secret Service", part of the Civil Service, and rose to the rank of principal officer. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Bond's adventure takes him to Switzerland after he rescues Tracy di Vicenzo from drowning. While impersonating Sir Hilary Bray, he meets his old nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld who has a clinic in Piz Gloria. Behind the scenes In 1968, after Sean Connery quit the role of James Bond, and 22-year-old actor Timothy Dalton declined the role in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (OHMSS), believing himself too young for it. Producer Albert R. Broccoli first met Lazenby when getting their hair cut at the same barber.Terry Coleman, '007 Mk2', The Guardian (1959-2003) (UK) 08 Oct 1968: 5 He later saw him in the Big Fry commercial and felt he could be a possible Bond, calling him in for a screen test. Lazenby dressed for the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit (ordered, but uncollected, by Connery).De 'vergeten' 007. Andere Tijden, VPRO, Nederland 2 20:25–21:25. Broccoli offered him an audition. The position was consolidated when Lazenby accidentally punched a professional wrestler, who was acting as stunt coordinator, in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. Lazenby won the role based on a screen-test fight scene, the strength of his interviews, fight skills and audition footage. Director Peter Hunt later claimed: : "We wanted someone who oozed sexual assurance, and we think this fellow has that. Just wait til the women see him on screen... I am not saying he is an actor. There is a great deal of difference between an actor and a film star. Didn't they find Gary Cooper when he was an electrician?"'Australian Non-Actor Chosen to Play James Bond', The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) D.C 09 Oct 1968: D14. During the production of the film, Lazenby's voice was dubbed over with George Baker's in scenes in which Bond impersonated Sir Hilary Bray (Baker's character), something not traditionally done with a leading actor whose original language is English. According to an interview, Lazenby experienced difficulties on the set stemming from director Peter R. Hunt's refusal to speak directly with him, and Hunt's brusqueness in asking Lazenby's friends to clear the set before filming.Interview in Bondage, magazine of the James Bond 007 Fan Club At the time of the release of OHMSS, Lazenby's performance received mixed reviews. Some felt that, while he was physically convincing, some of his costumes were inappropriate ("too loud" according to some) and that he delivered his lines poorly.Lipp 159 Others, however, have developed differing views in the decades since the film. In the 1998 book The Essential James Bond, Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrell write: "Although OHMSS was routinely dismissed by critics who cited Lazenby as a brave but disappointing successor to Connery, the intervening years have been notably kinder to both the film and its star. Indeed, due in no small part to Peter Hunt's inspired direction, OHMSS generally ranks among the top films with fans. Likewise, Lazenby has emerged as a very popular contributor to the series and has enjoyed large enthusiastic audiences during his appearances at Bond related events. In summary, OHMSS is a brilliant thriller in its own right and justifiably ranks amongst the best Bond films ever made". In Roger Moore's commentary for a 2007 DVD release of The Man with the Golden Gun, he referenced George Lazenby as follows : : "I have a great deal of e-mail contact with George Lazenby; he's sort of on the joke circuit ... that we simply send jokes to each other. OHMSS – very well made film – Peter Hunt – excellent, excellent, excellent fight stuff, excellent snow effects ... but I think the end result for George was that it was one of the better Bonds". In November 1969, prior to the release of the film, Lazenby announced that he no longer wished to play the role of James Bond. "They made me feel like I was mindless," he said about the film's producers. "They disregarded everything I suggested simply because I hadn't been in the film business like them for about a thousand years."'Latest 007 Seeking to End His Bondage', Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Angeles, Calif 24 Nov 1969: 2. Although Lazenby had been offered a contract for seven movies, his agent, Ronan O'Rahilly, convinced him that the secret agent would be archaic in the liberated 1970s, and as a result he left the series after the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. His co-star Diana Rigg was among many who commented on this decision: : "The role made Sean Connery a millionaire. It made Sean Connery... I truly don't know what's happening in George's mind so I can only speak of my reaction. I think its a pretty foolish move. I think if he can bear to do an apprenticeship, which everybody in this business has to do - has to do - then he should do it quietly and with humility. Everybody has to do it. There are few instant successes in the film business. And the instant successes one usually associates with somebody who is willing to learn anyway."''Gene Siskel, 'The Movies: What's New, Diana?', ''Chicago Tribune (1963-Current file) Ill 03 Dec 1969: c10 Unofficial appearances While On Her Majesty's Secret Service was Lazenby's only official performance as Bond, during the Eighties he made a couple of unofficial, tongue-in-cheek returns to the character in non-Bond productions. As to avoid legal issues, the identity of Lazenby's character is never directly mentioned, but both appearances contain multiple references to the EON spy. The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. In 1983, the same year which saw the 'Battle of the Bonds', Lazenby made a guest appearance in the television movie, The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.; a sequel to the '60s television spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. In it, Lazenby plays an unnamed - but easily recognizable - spy character. Whilst never outright referred to as Bond, the producers instead (not so) subtly inferred the spy's identity through his attire, vehicle and even dialogue. Lazenby's special guest appearance began as the show's protagonist, Napoleon Solo (with a Russian ballerina in the passenger seat), was engaged in a car chase through the streets of Las Vegas, pursued by armed men. As they speed through an intersection, past his Aston Martin DB5 (complete with "JB" license plates), Lazenby's character recognizes Solo as a fellow spy and dutifully sets off in pursuit. As with the Aston Martin DB5 in the EON movie series, the car from "The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E." is also armed with an assortment of concealed weaponry, including waterjets at the rear and rockets up front. As one pursuer's vehicle burst into flames, Lazenby - in a scene reminiscent of his "this never happened to the other fella" line from OHMSS - looked directly into the camera and quipped "Shaken, but not stirred." A further - and blatant - nod to Lazenby's Bond occurs near the end of the scene, as Solo's passenger notices the number plates and realizes who the Aston Martin might belong to. She gets very excited and exclaims, "It's just like On Her Majesty's Secret Service!" "Diamonds Aren't Forever" Lazenby donned the white dinner jacket again in 1989, in an episode of the revived Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''TV series, entitled ''Diamonds Aren't Forever. The episode begins with Lazenby landing - complete with white dinner jacket and Union Jack parachute - at a countryside hotel, to a song entitled "My Guy's a Spy". Lazenby's character (who we are told is called James ----") is soon informed that his mission is to recover a golden egret statue and that one or more of the eccentric hotel guests is actually a Soviet spy. Aside from his outfit and paracute, the episode is replete with Bond references. When checking into the hotel, he introduces himself in the traditional EON manner, but to avoid legal problems the surname gets drowned out by clattering and offscreen noise. At one point, James orders a martini from the bartender and specifies that it should not be stirred. He also repeats two Connery quips - "Shocking" and "He got the point." Gallery Lazenby Pistol.jpg Trivia *In the pre-title sequence of OHMSS, Lazenby comments: "This never happened to the other fellow", an in-joke referring to his predecessor Sean Connery, which has been interpreted by some film critics as breaking the fourth wall.Lipp 161 *Although Eon Productions attempted on several occasions to cast Americans as Bond (most notably signing John Gavin for Diamonds Are Forever before the services of Sean Connery were obtained ) Lazenby remains the only actor from outside the British Isles to portray Bond in a Bond feature film. See also *The Literary Bond *Sean Connery *Roger Moore *Timothy Dalton *Pierce Brosnan *Daniel Craig *Other Bonds External links *50 Years of 007 - Unofficial Lazenby References Category:Film characters Category:James Bonds Category:On Her Majesty's Secret Service characters